$2.9 Million Fairfield-Westport 911 Center Project Moves Forward

FAIRFIELD, CT — Fairfield and Westport recently received approval from Fairfield officials to operate a shared emergency communications center at Sacred Heart University. Town representatives voted in favor of a lease for the facility and to issue bonds for the almost $3 million project.

"Our dispatch center now is over 15 years old," Fairfield police Deputy Chief Don Smith said of the town's existing facility, adding that it needs to be renovated and its location in the basement of the police department is part of a flood zone. "... It's something we would have had to do on our own."

Under the lease, the towns will occupy about 2,400 square feet on the first floor of Sacred Heart's East Building, according to town documents. The state will pay for $500,000 in construction costs, with Fairfield and Westport splitting the remaining balance. Including town-specific computer-aided dispatch system improvements, capital costs are projected at about $1.2 million for Fairfield and about $1.4 million for Westport.

Fairfield will operate the center and will pay 67 percent of operational costs, while Westport will pay 33 percent, based on population and call volume, town documents stated. The division of operational expenses will be periodically adjusted.

The arrangement is expected to yield long-term savings on equipment, Smith said, although projections are not finalized. The shared facility will also improve communication and efficiency, and could be particularly beneficial in a major emergency.

"It actually has a lot of different benefits," he said.

Westport currently has one emergency center for police and another for fire, Smith said. Westport is also part of an interlocal agreement with New Canaan covering fire dispatch services, town documents stated. That arrangement will be incorporated into the Fairfield-Westport agreement.

All town representatives present at Monday's meeting voted in favor of both the lease and the $2.9 million in project funding. There was no discussion of the items by representatives or the public.